Rotondo wins 100th match, Rider takes Metro showdowns at home

By Lindsay Scarola and Jon Coiro

Rider volleyball climbed back to .500 in Metro Conference play with a 3-0 victory against Iona University that saw Head Coach Jeff Rotondo pick up his 100th career win, joined by a 3-1 win over Manhattan University.

A historic night 

Rider opened the first set against Iona with a 6-2 lead on Oct. 16, after scoring four straight with two kills from junior outside hitter Aubrey Baker. 

The Broncs had full control of the set, not allowing the Gaels to come near them. 

Up 20-16, Rider had a 4-0 run, topped by an ace from senior setter Makenna Mason for the set point. 

A kill by senior outside hitter Rylah Robinson gave the Broncs a 25-17 set win.

Losing by two in the second, a 6-0 run by the Gaels gave them the lead. Rider countered with a 6-2 run that tied the set at eight. 

Back-to-back-to-back kills by Robinson, senior middle hitter Molly Rohde and senior right-side hitter Anja Kelly gave the Broncs an 11-9 lead. 

With Rider leading 21-19, Iona went on a 4-0 run for the lead. However, the Broncs responded with their own 4-0 run to close out the set and go up in the match 2-0. 

Down 10-9 in set three, the Gaels took control with a 6-0 run. Then, up 17-15, another 5-0 run expanded Iona’s lead. 

The Broncs were down 24-17 late, but fought off five set points, rallying their way back. Three blocks and a kill by Rohde brought Rider within three, but it was unable to complete the comeback.

Trailing 4-2 in set four, the Broncs went on a 4-0 run that included a couple of kills from Kelly for a 6-4 lead. 

Leading by one, Rider scored three points, finishing with an ace by senior setter Katie Cook.

The Broncs’ lead was maintained throughout the set. Up 24-20, Iona fought off three match points to stay alive. 

A combo block by Kelly and freshman middle blocker Tori Bonacci gave Rider the set and match win.

Reflecting on his team’s mental resilience and steady mindset under pressure, Rotondo noted, “We talk about making sure our confidence was the armor we put on and not something we can take off easily.” 

The Broncs’ win against Iona was Rotondo’s 100th career win. 

Early momentum to nailbiting battles

Rider began their opening set on Oct. 17 on the right foot, taking a 7-2 advantage not long after early kills by Kelly.

Manhattan pulled to within a point before a kill by Robinson set the stage for the Broncs’ second 4-0 run of the set.

The Jaspers would never face a deficit of less than three for the remainder of set one.

In the back end, Rider proceeded to go five for six to put the icing on the cake for a 25-17 win.

The early push flipped into set two with a 3-0 run to kick things off, developing into yet another 4-0 span for an 11-5 lead in favor of the Broncs.

Manhattan gained slight traction before a dominating sequence by Kelly, who racked up four straight kills for Rider, three of which were unanswered.

“We were mixing [shots] up and we maintained really strong communication all match, which was something we worked on a lot,” Kelly said.

Rider had another strong finish to win 25-14 in set two and see themselves in the driver’s seat.

“At practice, we discussed the importance of being really good in the first five points and last five points,” said Rotondo. “The focus on that has to continue down the stretch.” 

With Manhattan’s backs against the wall, the tide was turned to begin set three, thanks to a 6-0 run in their favor.

Rider elected not to burn timeouts, using kills by Bonacci and Robinson to get back in business.

The Jaspers were just a point away from a set win until back-to-back attack errors tied it at 24.

Manhattan still hung on with a kill and a forced attack error on their end to win 26-24, resulting in an extra fourth set to be played.

Said set featured back-and-forth play with little room to break out, except for a 3-0 run to give Rider a 14-12 margin.

Robinson continued to come through late for the Broncs, earning a pair of kills to extend towards a three point lead, occurring twice inside the final seven serves.

A service and attack error pulled the Jaspers to trail by one, but Kelly capped off her excellent match with a kill and block alongside Rohde, ending in a 25-22 set four win.

“Jeff [Rotondo] tells us to remember what we can do to help win, focusing on our job, and doing it really well,” said Kelly. “We just have to play clean and do our thing, and I think we dropped the third set in receiving serves, but really picked it up in set four.”

The Broncs will start their three game slate on the road against Quinnipiac University on Oct. 23 at 5 p.m., followed by a matchup at Merrimack University on Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. Rider will then return home on Oct. 27 to host Saint Peter’s University at 6 p.m. Both the opener against Quinnipiac and the home finale against Saint Peter’s can be streamed on ESPN+.